TORONTO — The Canadian Football League is investigating allegations made by a former Toronto Argonauts strength and conditioning coach that they were wrongfully dismissed and quarterback Chad Kelly harassed them, the league said Wednesday.
The coach filed a statement of claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last week alleging a pattern of harassment by Kelly, beginning with unwanted romantic advances and escalating into instances of threatening language.
The coach said the club did not act when told of Kelly’s behavior and assistant general manager John Murphy said reporting it “opened a can of worms that didn’t need to be opened.”
The Argonauts said in a statement the club will cooperate with the CFL’s investigation. A team spokesman referred The Associated Press to the team statement when asked if Kelly was available for comment. Kelly’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The Toronto Argonauts share the CFL’s commitment to providing healthy and positive work environments,” the statement reads. “The organization will reserve any further comment until the conclusion of the league’s investigation.”
The CFL said it is taking the allegations “very seriously.”
“We have opened an investigation in accordance with the league’s gender-based violence policy,” the league said in a statement.
The coach said they were told Jan. 29 that their contract would not be renewed. The coach is seeking $80,000 from Kelly and a total of $85,714 from the Argonauts.
The AP does not identify alleged victims of sexual harassment unless they grant permission to be named.
Kelly played college football at Clemson and Mississippi. He is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly and was the final pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
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